Talk is cheap, and Ellerbe made clear that he knows that: He is eager to make noise with his play and not with his words.

“I think they are but you have to prove it, you can’t just talk about it,” Ellerbe said.

Ellerbe also mentioned that he believes the Patriots’ offense will suffer from the loss of tight end Aaron Hernandez.

“Losing a starter always hurts and losing a starter as good as he was will really hurt,” he said. “I don’t think you can say the Patriots are the same as before after what happened to Hernandez.”

The Patriots’ passing game has also lost Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd and Danny Woodhead, and Rob Gronkowski’s status is uncertain after back surgery. So four of New England’s top five pass catchers from last year are gone, and the fifth is a question mark. It’s easy to see why the Dolphins might think now is the time to knock the Patriots off.

Been a fins fan my whole life and have watched the Pats dominate the AFC east for the last 12 years! As long as Tom Brady is throwing the ball it doesnt matter who its to. Hate the pats/TB but gotta respect what hes done. Here’s to hoping the tides are turning and my fins can get back to dominance! GO FINS!

Year in, and year out, they keep saying the Pats are finished. Every year we change the nucleus of our offense, as most teams have to with the salary cap. This just solidifies first place and another run to the AFC Championship game!

Thank god we got an AH mention… 1 for 12 including the AH years…that means 1 of 9 without the AH years.. Its going to take a lot more than a part time starter from a team with Lewis and Suggs to knock them off. trust me, we have been trying for a long time too

harrisonhits2 says:Jul 8, 2013 9:46 AM

The Fins made a lot of aggressive and seemingly good moves this off season. The Pats should still come out on top but they’re head and shoulders above the Bills and Jets now.

This is a caption obvious statement by Ellerbee anyway. The Pats have been on top of the division for years so any move by the other teams is to knock them off.

Sorry, but as a Broncos fan, I have pondered things that will weaken the Pats, and I have yet to see anything. They lost Brady for Gods sake, they won 11 games! Whether people like it or not, they are a well coached, well prepared team. AH wont make the slightest difference. They have Ballard waiting to prove something, & Tebow will play a role this yr.

If Ellerbe sweeps Brady’s leg in Week 8, he’ll become a real American Patriot in my eyes.

southpaw2k says:Jul 8, 2013 9:52 AM

Talk may be cheap, but after taking a look at the Patriots’ schedule for 2013, I wouldn’t be all that shocked if they finished with 8 or 9 wins on the season. Depending on how the Dolphins do, I would also not be surprised if the Dolphins wound up winning the division.

lostsok says:Jul 8, 2013 9:52 AM

Everyone should have confidence in July. I respect that he admits there are no guarantees, and that confidence and talk are two different things. This was no “dream team” comment.

As long as brady is playing they are the favorites in the AFC. But you can’t say patriots are the same team as last year. I think their offense will suffer. You can’t just replace gronk, welker and hernandez on that team and expect the same results. There is a reason they’re getting paid the money. They’re good.

strokinmyego says:Jul 8, 2013 10:10 AM

In 2009, 2010, and 2011 it was the Jets that were ready to end the Patriots’s dominance. Last year the Bills armed with strong pass rushers Mario Williams and Mark Anderson were ready to take the Patriots down. Now the Dolphins are being pegged by the media as the team ready to knock the Patriots off their perch in the AFC East.

Before putting the Dolphins on a pedestal for being the champions of March consider the fact that every team that has splurged in free agency like the Dolphins have ended up as failures when the real games began. The Eagles of the past few years were just the latest example of this.

The Jets and Bills failed and I’m betting the Dolphins will too. Bet against Belichick and Brady at your own risk. They’ve both made their careers out of making people who doubt them look bad.

So since Ellerbe only plays in about 5 games a season who were the other team he was brought over to beat? I mean this guy had some great moments for the Ravens but if he’s still on the fins roster in 2 years I’ll be very, very surprised!

Man, people still bring up that Spygate crap. EVERY team was videotaping. That’s why Roger Goodell sent that memo about videotaping to EVERY team in the NFL. Get your facts straight.

crownofthehelmet says:Jul 8, 2013 10:46 AM

Talking trash way too prematurely. I guess you can take the kid out of Baltimore, but not Bal out of the kid.

virg1969 says:Jul 8, 2013 10:46 AM

I am a Ravens fan, but Ellerbe will get cut in two years. He will be added to the long list of Ravens defenders that left for big money but did not live up to expectations. He had a hard time staying healthy and was largely a “system guy”.

Focus too much on the Pats, and somebody else will beat you. The Jets problem was that Rex and Tanny were obsessed with beating the Pats instead of building a strong and sustainable club. Well, that and Sanchize.

Beating New England will take them another 10 years – who is this guy kidding?

tsizzlesucks says:Jul 8, 2013 11:17 AM

Typical big mouth ex-Raven! That’s why Sanchez was brought to the Jets and Williams to the Bills. So, how’s all that working out? Big talk from a special teamer.
That division is so bad that Mallet could start all the division games and the Pats would go undefeated!

I hate offseason talk as much as the rest…but all 32 teams have the same record and I believe the Dolphins are going to be a totally different team this year & hope they do in fact take the division this year! GO DOLPHINS!!

I don’t see a problem with what Ellerbe said…I want guys that want to knock off the Pats,I bleieve for years the Fins knew they couldnt beat NE…as for the guy who said he would be cut in 2 years & he was a “system guy” you weren’t saying that when he was your best LB in the playoffs on the way to a super bowl…Ravens are still good & always reload, but Ellerbe is a good player & an effort guy he will help Miami close the gap on the Pats.

Love how people talk about Gronk as if he’s dead. Even if he isn’t ready by Week 1, he’ll be fine shortly thereafter.

Also, the Patriots CHOSE to move on from Welker and CHOSE to move on from Lloyd so it’s not like they are crying in a corner that those guys are gone. Wes was replaced by Amendola and they drafted 2 WR’s in the first 4 rounds to replace 32 year old Lloyd so we’ll see. As with previous years, the Pats chances of winning the SB will come down to their defense playing as well as it did in their championship years.

I remember the year the Fins finished ahead. The two teams had identical 11-5 records and the Pats won handily in the second meeting of the season in Miami. (Pats finished season on high note). The better team was not the one that won the tiebreaker that year.

Other franchises have always viewed the Patriots as arrogant and that arrogance, in many ways, has fueled New England. It led to the Patriots rarely being shaken even after losing Super Bowls or being embarrassed by Spygate.

In that game Ellerbe had an interception off a tipped pass with less than seven minutes left. We felt like if we just kept fighting, eventually we could get inside their heads.”

Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are the only players returning to the team that caught passes last year. Gone are the players responsible for 77 percent of the team’s total targets from 2012.

OK, Pat fan, who you going to replace all those catches with? Amendola? Gronk? Neither guy has proven they can stay on the field. You’re counting on two rookies to learn that complex offense? Be serious.

bcgreg says:Jul 8, 2013 4:58 PM

I am a Pats fan. I have no issue with Ellerbe’s statements. It’s not like he was an a-hole about it like Suggs. Plus what’s he supposed to say? They have no chance?

Miami has improved (not sold on Mike Wallace on a new team just yet), but until the Pats are knocked off, they’re still the team to beat. They’re not as good at TE without AH or Gronk, obviously. But they are still solid with Ballard, Fells, and Hoomanawanui. And, Gronk should be back at some point. Vereen > Woodhead. Ridley, Blount, and Leon Washington solidify the backfield. They could still bring back Brandon Lloyd. And, hopefully, one of the rookie WRs (Dobson or Boyce) will work out. The offense will be fine.

The Dolphins coaches and personnel staffs knew what needed to be done to close the gap with NE at the end of last season, they put together, and executed it better than they themselves expected. Like Ellerbe said, that’s why he was brought in.

Even so, that doesn’t mean the gap was closed with their efforts. However, they also have gotten some help closing the gap as a result of unfortunate circumstances with NE. Like he said, none of it means jack until you go out and do it.

Pats fans think Dolphins fans are delusional to think they can win the division, but no more than Pats fans thinking things can never change. Prior to the Pats dominating the division, it was the Bills, before that, it was the Dolphins (even longer than the Pats have), but guess what, it changed, and it will again. Every year unexpected changes occur in the NFL and next season will be no different.

beachsidejames says:Jul 8, 2013 10:19 PM

Dolphins 1st five games are the key for them if they want to take the division. I’m not so sure Fins can do that but will alot more exciting to watch this year.

Unfortunately ellerbe is going to fall on the list of system players for the ravens who washout elsewhere. He is a good talent who was paid to be great, which he is not. Ditto for Kruger with the browns. It is a lot easier to look good when Suggs and ngats consistently draw double teams. Either way, I wish ellerbe well. He played am important part on the defense in a championship year